"Democratic socialists," said DSA national director Maria Svart, "are proud to join with Sanders, his millions of supporters, teachers and other workers on strike across the US, and students protesting climate change across the world in fighting for a society that puts people over profit." (Image: DSA)
Only Socialist in US History of 'With Serious Chance of Winning': DSA Endorses Bernie Sanders for 2020
Democratic Socialists of America say senator from Vermont is the only candidate in the race who can "transform American society by ending the worst forms of poverty and inequality while empowering workers to fight for even more."
The Democratic Socialists of America have officially endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president saying the self-described socialist running for the Democratic nomination is the best candidate to put forth a "class-struggle agenda" heading into the 2020 elections and the first candidate of his kind in the nation's history with a legitimate chance of winning.
The endorsement came in a vote by the group's National Political Committee on Thursday night after surveys of chapters and members nationwide showed 75 percent approval for the decision.
" Bernie Sanders is part of an incredible revival of resistance to billionaires and their corporations," said DSA national director Maria Svart. "Democratic socialists are proud to join with Sanders, his millions of supporters, teachers and other workers on strike across the U.S., and students protesting climate change across the world in fighting for a society that puts people over profit."
Citing key issues on his platform--including support for the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, free higher-education for all, ending the nation's cash bail system, defending and strengthening unions, and fighting for a living wage for all workers--DSA said in a statement that Sanders was the only candidate in the race able to "transform American society by ending the worst forms of poverty and inequality while empowering workers to fight for even more."
In addition to being the only socialist democrat in the running, the group added, Sanders is also the "only socialist in American history with a serious chance of winning" the presidency. Numerous polls show Sanders leading among all the declared Democratic candidates, both nationally and in key states.
Reporting for In These Times on Friday, Emma Whitford offered a detailed view of how the group--which has grown rapidly in recent years--arrived at their decision:
The vote also came after a one-week advisory poll open to all dues-paying members that endorsed Sanders 3 to 1 (13,324 people, roughly a quarter of DSA's membership, weighed in.) But it's just one event in an ongoing internal debate about how DSA, which saw an explosion in membership after Sanders's primary run in 2016--from 6,100 members to 56,000 today--should approach this second go-around. It is also, importantly, not binding for individual chapters.
Many DSA members agree that Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who has popularized policies like free college and Medicare for All, is the only presidential endorsement worth considering. Some large chapters, including Philadelphia DSA, Detroit and Chicago, doubled down with their own local endorsements. Members argue that entering the race early will ensure an organized and effective field strategy.
As part of the endorsement, DSA also launched a nationwide organizing effort to back the senator's campaign and urged people to sign up:
Svart said the group and its membership nationwide "know that no single president can do this alone: only by building a massive, multi-racial working-class movement for the long term can we fight back against the capitalist class. We just have to remember: we have the power if we stand together."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The Democratic Socialists of America have officially endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president saying the self-described socialist running for the Democratic nomination is the best candidate to put forth a "class-struggle agenda" heading into the 2020 elections and the first candidate of his kind in the nation's history with a legitimate chance of winning.
The endorsement came in a vote by the group's National Political Committee on Thursday night after surveys of chapters and members nationwide showed 75 percent approval for the decision.
" Bernie Sanders is part of an incredible revival of resistance to billionaires and their corporations," said DSA national director Maria Svart. "Democratic socialists are proud to join with Sanders, his millions of supporters, teachers and other workers on strike across the U.S., and students protesting climate change across the world in fighting for a society that puts people over profit."
Citing key issues on his platform--including support for the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, free higher-education for all, ending the nation's cash bail system, defending and strengthening unions, and fighting for a living wage for all workers--DSA said in a statement that Sanders was the only candidate in the race able to "transform American society by ending the worst forms of poverty and inequality while empowering workers to fight for even more."
In addition to being the only socialist democrat in the running, the group added, Sanders is also the "only socialist in American history with a serious chance of winning" the presidency. Numerous polls show Sanders leading among all the declared Democratic candidates, both nationally and in key states.
Reporting for In These Times on Friday, Emma Whitford offered a detailed view of how the group--which has grown rapidly in recent years--arrived at their decision:
The vote also came after a one-week advisory poll open to all dues-paying members that endorsed Sanders 3 to 1 (13,324 people, roughly a quarter of DSA's membership, weighed in.) But it's just one event in an ongoing internal debate about how DSA, which saw an explosion in membership after Sanders's primary run in 2016--from 6,100 members to 56,000 today--should approach this second go-around. It is also, importantly, not binding for individual chapters.
Many DSA members agree that Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who has popularized policies like free college and Medicare for All, is the only presidential endorsement worth considering. Some large chapters, including Philadelphia DSA, Detroit and Chicago, doubled down with their own local endorsements. Members argue that entering the race early will ensure an organized and effective field strategy.
As part of the endorsement, DSA also launched a nationwide organizing effort to back the senator's campaign and urged people to sign up:
Svart said the group and its membership nationwide "know that no single president can do this alone: only by building a massive, multi-racial working-class movement for the long term can we fight back against the capitalist class. We just have to remember: we have the power if we stand together."
The Democratic Socialists of America have officially endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president saying the self-described socialist running for the Democratic nomination is the best candidate to put forth a "class-struggle agenda" heading into the 2020 elections and the first candidate of his kind in the nation's history with a legitimate chance of winning.
The endorsement came in a vote by the group's National Political Committee on Thursday night after surveys of chapters and members nationwide showed 75 percent approval for the decision.
" Bernie Sanders is part of an incredible revival of resistance to billionaires and their corporations," said DSA national director Maria Svart. "Democratic socialists are proud to join with Sanders, his millions of supporters, teachers and other workers on strike across the U.S., and students protesting climate change across the world in fighting for a society that puts people over profit."
Citing key issues on his platform--including support for the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, free higher-education for all, ending the nation's cash bail system, defending and strengthening unions, and fighting for a living wage for all workers--DSA said in a statement that Sanders was the only candidate in the race able to "transform American society by ending the worst forms of poverty and inequality while empowering workers to fight for even more."
In addition to being the only socialist democrat in the running, the group added, Sanders is also the "only socialist in American history with a serious chance of winning" the presidency. Numerous polls show Sanders leading among all the declared Democratic candidates, both nationally and in key states.
Reporting for In These Times on Friday, Emma Whitford offered a detailed view of how the group--which has grown rapidly in recent years--arrived at their decision:
The vote also came after a one-week advisory poll open to all dues-paying members that endorsed Sanders 3 to 1 (13,324 people, roughly a quarter of DSA's membership, weighed in.) But it's just one event in an ongoing internal debate about how DSA, which saw an explosion in membership after Sanders's primary run in 2016--from 6,100 members to 56,000 today--should approach this second go-around. It is also, importantly, not binding for individual chapters.
Many DSA members agree that Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who has popularized policies like free college and Medicare for All, is the only presidential endorsement worth considering. Some large chapters, including Philadelphia DSA, Detroit and Chicago, doubled down with their own local endorsements. Members argue that entering the race early will ensure an organized and effective field strategy.
As part of the endorsement, DSA also launched a nationwide organizing effort to back the senator's campaign and urged people to sign up:
Svart said the group and its membership nationwide "know that no single president can do this alone: only by building a massive, multi-racial working-class movement for the long term can we fight back against the capitalist class. We just have to remember: we have the power if we stand together."